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Colorado Governor Jared Polis announced a deal between conservation groups, transit backers, and the oil and gas industry that stops the potential for multiple competing ballot initiatives in November. In exchange, the oil industry will become a major source of transit funding in the state.
State legislators were considering bills to address ozone pollution by "pausing" oil and gas driling in the summer months, limiting driving in gas-powered cars, and increasing fines for bad actors like the Suncor oil refinery near Denver. The oil industry was backing a November ballot measure that would have banned local governments from restricting natural gas for cooking or heating in new construction.
Now all of those legislative and ballot proposals are off the table. Groups including Conservation Colorado, Earthjustice, and GreenLatinos joined the agreement, along with oil and gas companies like Occidental, Chevron, and Civitas.
Under the deal, the Colorado legislature will pass two bills in the final days of the 2024 legislative session. One will set lower emissions targets for the oil industry, including new enforcement mechanisms. The second bill will put a fee on oil production in Colorado, generating an estimated $138 million per year. 80 percent of the revenue will go toward transit projects; the rest will help restore public lands that have been affected by drilling.
National monument expansion tomorrow?
E&E News reports that President Biden is planning to expand two California national monuments on Thursday. Bills to grow the San Gabriel Mountains and Berryessa Snow Mountain national monuments have stalled in Congress, giving the president an opportunity to use his authority under the Antiquities Act to set aside land for conservation.
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These bills represent significant progress for disproportionately impacted communities, providing much-needed protections from pollution, resources to enhance the lives of transit-dependent individuals, and crucial remediation efforts for both the ecosystem and affected communities.”
